Wagner, Royce Named 2014 Team Captains

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Senior Kaitlyn Wagner and junior Emma Royce have been selected as co-captains of the Ohio State field hockey team for the 2014 season, head coach Anne Wilkinson announced today. It is the first such honor for both Wagner and Royce, respectively.

Royce, who has started 27 of the 28 careers games that she has played in, was a member of the 2013 Big Ten All-Tournament team. She totaled three points on one goal and one assist during the 2013 campaign while averaging 72 minutes per game. As a freshman in 2012, she played at least 70 minutes in 16 of 19 games and scored goals against Missouri State and Bucknell. On Thursday, she was named to the Big Ten Preseason Watch List.

“This is a special honor, especially because it is one that is voted on by my teammates,” said Royce, an English major and native of London, England. “I’m looking forward to helping lead our team in a direction that will help us achieve our goals. I want to be a role model to the younger players day in and day out.”

Wagner, a senior from Oley, Pa., has started 59 straight games in her Buckeye career. She scored two goals last year on seven shots, recording tallies against Miami (Ohio) and Michigan State. As a sophomore in 2012, Wagner was part of an Ohio State backfield that limited opponents to just 10.2 shots per game and 1.67 goals per game. In the classroom, Wagner earned NFHCA National Academic honors.

“I’m very excited to be named a captain and am looking forward to taking on this leadership role,” said Wagner, an environmental science major. “We have a young team and my goal is to be someone my teammates can count on everyday both on and off the field.”

Ohio State opens its 2014 campaign next Friday, Aug. 29, when it hosts Syracuse at 3 p.m. On Saturday, the Buckeyes will travel to Oxford, Ohio, for a preseason scrimmage against Miami.